Albuquerque Police Release Information on Saturday’s Shooting Near Juan Tabo

ALBUQUERQUE, NM (KRQE) – What began as an art exhibit near Juan Tabo and Constitution quickly devolved into a chaotic scene filled with gunfire and ended with a multi-vehicle crash.

“We are fortunate that no one was killed in this incident,” said Gilbert Gallegos, spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department (APD).

According to APD, shots were fired in the parking lot of a tire dealership in northeast Albuquerque on Saturday in what appears to be a drive-by shooting. Witnesses in the area said two vehicles fired shots from their cars, hitting a food truck four times and a private vehicle once.

“I think investigators have pretty good evidence on both sides that both people were shooting at each other from both vehicles,” Gallegos said. “Very reckless, very dangerous.”

According to police, this shooting led to a six-vehicle crash involving a marked Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) vehicle at the intersection of Copper and Juan Tabo, involving a silver GMC SUV.

The driver and passenger exited the vehicle and ran to a nearby Olive Garden parking lot. While pursuing the two, the officer in the BCSO vehicle claimed he saw one of the men drop a firearm. The two men, later identified as Caleb Estrada and Elias Sandoval, were arrested and police recovered numerous shell casings, live ammunition and a firearm in the parking lot. Police said another gun was found in the GMC. Sandoval and Estrada claimed ownership of both weapons.

“Fortunately, officers were able to respond quickly,” Gallegos said.

According to police, Estrada and Sandoval said they were hanging out with two girls at an unknown apartment complex when a blue Chevrolet Camaro drove by and started firing at them. According to documents, the two then got into the GMC, drove away and fired at the Camaro, claiming “self-defense.” After interviewing Estrada and Sandoval, police responded to a tire shop near Central and San Pedro on reports of a blue Camaro driving erratically.

Then police found four people, two men named Oliver Peralta and Antonio Acosta, who told a similar story to Estrada and Sandoval. They claimed they had planned to meet girls at an apartment complex, but they were already with two men.

“Investigators are looking into the involvement of the other people who were in the Camaro,” Gallegos said.

According to the documents, Peralta and Acosta said the two women got into the Camaro and claimed the other two men became jealous and shot at them. Police say the girls, along with Acosta and Peralta, were released pending the production of a possible arrest warrant.

“We have received many different stories and denials from everyone involved,” Gallegos added.

Both vehicles have been sealed and are awaiting search warrants. Estrada and Sandoval were both booked into the MDC and are accused of firing from a moving vehicle and eluding police.